Orchid Mantis

An orchid by any other brand would not smell as sweet. A botanist’s dew-eyed, green fever dream, Orchid Mantis bedews, beguiles, and bewitches its wearer. This is one of Zoologist’s finest accomplishments – and perhaps the most glowing floral fragrance on the market. It’s a hot pink hallucination of lip-glossed venom, floral lacquer, and sticky palms in a greenhouse that breathes as if it were alive. It’s a kiss from a rose on the grey. Orchid Mantis is the scent of Poison Ivy’s greenhouse. It intimately lures you into a botanical atrium – a haven of sticky heat, dew-drenched petals, and monstrous florals that lean in just a little too close. The air is surreally humid and pungently floral, with that dewy, glistening wetness, and a slightly acidic lip-lock of yellow citruses that melt into your skin. Vines of flora twist out of soil and creep toward the sky. Rare and exotic orchids bloom with obscene lushness, littering the earth in shades of fuchsia and high femme sprawling underfoot. Taking inspiration from the heavy, shoulder-padded fragrances of the 1980s, a southern girl decked out in pastel greens and pinks could still wear this fabulously. But me? I want to drown in it. Perhaps one of the most pleasantly approachable fragrances that Zoologist has ever released, Orchid Mantis lacks a bit of the standard Zoologist punch that we’ve come to expect. But don’t be fooled – it’s wildly addictive, right down to the very last petal. Like a carnivorous pitcher plant, Orchid Mantis lures you in and reminds you that beautiful things are a trap. It seduces softly, slowly - until you’re caught in its pretty but poisonous tendrils. Devoured in its embrace, and still gasping for another breath of its floral sap. It's leafy-soft, with a bite like glass. Orchid Mantis might just be Zoologist’s prettiest scent – but it’s not harmless. It coyly and delicately dares you to spray it again. And then, like a Venus fly trap in bloom, it smiles as it swallows you.

This might be my favorite take on a floral scent yet. Rarely does a scent manifest a certain setting or memory like this one has. The opening is a beautiful mixture of basil, citrus, and pear, which brings for a feeling of humid greenery. When Zoologist lists "dewy green accord," they did not lie! This gives way to a vibrant, yet delicate, mixture of florals which has yet to be paralleled in my scent trial journey. There is a faint "pissyness" (as put by my boyfriend) which you also get from actual flowers. There's also a subtle soapiness too. The depth of this scent has wowed every person I've shown this to. They way this conjures the memory of visiting a flower nursery's greenhouse, right after the flowers are watered, with my mom in mid-spring to pick out that Summer's garden arrangement, is breathtaking. This is a fragrance that reminds me why I became obsessed with perfume in the first place. I've already gone through a sample from several wears and showing it to friends, and I have a travel size coming soon. I see myself getting a full bottle down the line. This is bound to be my go-to S/S fragrance. 10/10

Tomoo Inaba is a very very creative Perfumer. Orchid Mantis is a very pretty floral fragrance, it is very nostalgic and vintagy reminds you of the good old days. I own moth and I can say they have the same similar DNA while Moth is the gothic sister, Orchid Mantis is the "bright" sister. To the scent itself to my nose, the Jasmine is very heavy here and dominate along with the Lady of the night flower and the green notes for the first 2 hours then after that it feels like you have entered a forest that it just finished raining, very humid with the whiffs of flowers from the background. Very unique and it will definitely make you stand out. Like every Zoologist sample before buy People say it is feminine, well I'm a male and I bought a full bottle of this pretty fragrance and I give it 10/10 Thank you Inaba for your work 🥰🤗

Imagine the most indolic ylang-ylang colliding with the most indolic jasmine, bound together with the sharp, almost feral bite of freshly cut grass. Then a deep, shadow-soaked moss rises through the composition: green, wet, and funereal; the scent of a night where the earth itself seems alive with restless spirits. Now the tale unfolds: This is the wedding perfume of the Corpse Bride. The flowers she clutches are wilted and water-logged, their vitality long surrendered to decay. She drifts forward in a slow, mournful glide across grass pushing up through bog-like soil, the ground soft, cold, and breathing beneath her feet. Gravestones loom, coated in velvet moss. Everywhere is dampness, darkness, rot; an eternal twilight where beauty and ruin hold hands. Wow. Tag(s): mossy, indolic, vintage-y, melancholic, decay

Very impressive to me. The opening is a tropical jungle as perceived in a dream state. That dream is pleasant and sunny but there is something lurking in the soil, making everything uncanny and unnerving. It's basically a David Lynch film in a bottle. There are 30,000 species of scented orchids, ranging in fragrance from rotting flesh to sweet jasmine/honey to cinnamon + chocolate. "Pink Orchid" means absolutely nothing in a photorealistic sense. This is high fantasy territory. The opening is all humidity + jungle sweat. The "green accord" is very present and smells like freshly cut leaves to me. The heart is of a musky tropical bouquet, positively dripping with nectar and hinting slyly at the inevitable rot and ferment underneath. Divine. One of zoologist's best to my nose.

The fact that each new Zoologist releases used to generate a wave of blog reviews and now there’s so many releases nobody knows what’s going on should really make Victor Wong reconsider the breakneck release schedule. Even Luca Turin told him indirectly with his reviews that he needs to slow down. There are probably 20 more scents in this collection than there needs to be! Anyways, this is a grand green floral, almost a Chypre. I was surprised by how dirty it smells, in a good way, this is really sexy and louche. Private collection or ylang 49 come to mind but the florals are much more vivid here. It’s tropical in a green and humid way, not a candy colored banana boat and pina colada way. Basil and pear do a lot of the heavy lifting. Vivid pink and lime green.

Absolutely beautiful! This perfectly captures the essence of its beautiful, delicate namesake. It smells like being in an orchid's natural environment, with an orchid mantis hiding in plain sight. This is the most beautiful soft, green but woody floral. It is very soothing and Zen-like scent to me. I agree with the reviewer below that it smells like a garden outside of a Balinese temple. It gives you that feeling of being in nature and a sacred place at the same time. Full bottle worthy for me. (Note: Most of the fragrance suggestions on this page are WAY off. This perfume smells in NO way like Anais Anais, it smells nothing like Lush's Pansy nor does it smell anything like 29 High Street. I have smelled all of these and they are not at all alike).

Today was 90 degrees, and this turned out to be a great perfume for the heat -- refreshing, sweet, and green. I was instantly in love from the first spray, and stayed that way throughout. The heat may have caused it to burn off faster than usual, so this actually might be better off as a Spring fragrance. Yes, it does smell like Lush, specifically reminiscent of their fragrance 29 High Street, but better. This is my second Zoologist sample, and I'm loving the brand so far. Bonus points for the mantis, since they're one of my all-time favorite bugs!!!

A REALLY nice natural floral smell with a bit of a note of mild incense; like the scent of being in a metaphysical store but if they also sold a bunch of fresh flowers. Or maybe like the flower garden outside of an old mansion. There's a sense of elegance and mystery to this. It's nicely unisex too; I think if you're masc and looking for a nice floral that's not too sweet or girly this is for you. Or if you're femme and looking for something mature and classy. Really versatile too, I could see myself wearing this in any season. Absolutely love it.

I like this. It is a floral-tropical forest fragrance. It is difficult to identify individual notes, but it is a blend of flowers sitting in a green forest that is tropical in essence. I don't notice any powdery smell, fortunately, which is kryptonite for me. It has quite a strong sillage and projection and will be noticed by people around you. Fortunately it is a good! smell. It is perfect for me when I walk around in my tropical garden, though I don't think it will fit in every context. To me it is a unisex fragrance.

I saw a lot of people compare it to soap, but I’m mainly getting the white florals, lemon and bergamot which are just fantastic. It’s a clean, dewy scent that reminds me of the rainforest, which is par for the course when the fragrance is themed after a tropical insect. The white florals, bergamot and lemon take me on a journey that eventually leads me to drinking a great cup of jasmine tea while watching the rain outside my window. (Great, now I’m dying for a cup of tea lol) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Gorgeous, juicy tropical scent. on my skin it smells like a candy watermelon but grown up and expensive and dries down to an aquatic floral scent. Beast mode for projection and longevity so a little goes a long way. Jasmine works well with my skin chemistry, but I would not consider this blind buy safe for the general population. I do want a full bottle of this one day, but the price point is a little high.

This fragrance blew my mind. It smells just like the jungle section of a zoo. It's humid, watery, green. This is the first photorealistic perfume that I smelled, and it put me under a spell.

Very impressive .Fresh humid flowers. it smells so good. I love it. It lasts a long time. Cow and this are my favorite from the brand. Both are between my top favorites perfumes.

this smells like the bar of soap that is in the church sacristy bathroom. elegant and floral with a hint of muskiness.

Perfect Spring scent for my skin. Does not dry down to baby wipes! Very smooth, ripe and lush.

Have you walked into a Lush store? That’s it, you know this fragrance, it’s glorious.

It smells like a hot jungle in full bloom. I love it!

A photorealistic botanic garden

Orchid Mantis explodes onto the scene with lush greens, tropical florals, and a prominent wilderness skank that I can't pin down. This reminds me far more of Sloth and Dodo than anything else from the Zoologist. It also reminds me a bit of Olympic Orchids' Tropic of Capricorn, but Orchid Mantis is the quirky, well-managed terrarium to that perfume's feral jungle. As evidenced by the plethora of questioning/negative reviews below, this perfume is definitely going to alienate a chunk of noses right off the rip. Once Orchid Mantis settles down, it becomes a much more approachable and even cuddly floral-green-musk fragrance. There is a bright floral note that hangs on long into the fragrance's dry down - my guess is remnants of the Ylang-Ylang that hang on to the musk. I do slightly understand the Nightingale (my beloved) comparisons during this stage, as perfumer Tomoo Inaba really seems to gravitate towards lush floral-musky bases. However, calling this perfume similar to Nightingale feels incredibly misleading. We're talking about a 20% similarity during an hour-long stretch of the perfume's wear. The opening of Orchid Mantis shares nothing in common with Nightingale, and if I didn't know the two perfumes were made by the same person, I would never have thought to compare them in the first place. My fiancee, a massive fan of green, mineralic fragrances, really loves this one. Me? I like it, but if I'm going jungle mode, I'm going full beauty (Carnal Flower) or full wild (Tropic of Capricorn). Inaba continues to be one of my favorite voices in the perfume industry, and even though Nightingale will probably be my favorite scent of his for quite some time, this is another wonderful effort that keeps me excited to see what he does next.

Personally, I really enjoy Orchid Mantis, but I also think that many would find it way too soapy and powdery for their taste/ skin chemistry. The second I sprayed Orchid Mantis on my skin, I was instantly transported to the memory of my first time entering my local mall's lush when I was 15 years old, ratatouille style. Orchid Mantis being such a dead ringer for the lush store smell might give some migraines, but I find it to be extremely nostalgic given that the first perfume I ever bought was from lush. Actually describing the smell, Orchid Mantis's florals, particularly the ylang ylang, punches the green soapy and powdery notes, and the aromatic patchouli base adds a little complexity. Orchid Mantis's sillage was intense when first sprayed but dried down into something more moderate, but still robust, after a few hours. To be honest, I kind of wish he ylang ylang lasted longer given how much character and complexity it lends to this fragrance. Though, I don't think many white floral or ylang ylang lovers will be too disappointed by Orchid Mantis. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm willing to drop 55-200 dollars to smell like a store in the mall.

Orchid Mantis is the latest creation for Zoologist by perfumer Tomoo Inaba, with his other two being Nightingale and Moth. This review is based on my initial wear and is a first impression. OM opens fresh, green, and dewy, and then dries down to a powdery floral. The floral notes have Inaba's signature treatment, with the delicate fluffiness found in Moth and the waxy blend with the subtle fruit found in Nightingale. The main differences between OM and his other two creations are 1) the fresh green aspect, and 2) the lack of darkness in the base, which was incense and oud in Moth and prominent moss and patchouli in Nightingale. OM mostly has clean musk and a touch of moss in the base, at least on my skin. In general, this is the most approachable of his three creations, but there is something interesting lurking inside the floral tornado. To me there is something animalic and metallic, maybe a little like urine? Good projection and longevity. I like this green floral more than Dragonfly, but I prefer Moth and Nightingale so far. Maybe I will change my mind after more testing

An Orchid Mantis is a mantis in the guise of a beautiful flower. Likewise, this bottle is a beast in the guise of beautiful flower, yes, beast mode to me. The flowers are photorealistic enough, especially the Ylang Ylang that came fully indolic. The only catch here is that the overall scent turned up on the vintage side. If you like vintage, this will be a gem, if you don’t, a turnoff. For me, it played nicely with my chemistry and upped the indolic side so the whole scent became ultra realistic to me. So I kinda like this, not a love since I’m not into vintage stuffs. But it sure lasted eternally since it stayed on my skin well beyond fourteen hours with at least ten projecting well.

Starts off extremely floral and dancing around, but whatever it is causing that effect dies off and it settles into a more green watery effect with florals blending a bit more into the background. That fleeting dancing effect could definately fit the flight aspects of the animal. It's very sweet and it is quite floral, but I wouldn't immediately bucket it as "feminine" as the mid to drydown reminds me of some of the more floral Amouage Man fragrances, I'm thinking Silver and Gold here. A bit of a suprise for me this one, while I probably wont buy a bottle I liked it a lot and it exceeded my expectations.

I like this. The oakmoss, pear, and green accord really stand out for me. This smells like a tropical forest full of very ripe fruit trees, lots of lichen/moss and undergrowth. Tropical orchids and ylang. Green and sweet humid air envelop your senses. I can almost see in my minds eye the beautifully colored birds and monkeys swinging and flying through the trees and huge vines. Really lovely. Might go on my want shelf. It does kind of remind me of Caswell and Massey Orchid which I own and Providence Perfume Co Basil and Bartlett. All 3 have a very good and realistic pear note. I'm picky about pear.

On my skin, Orchid Mantis is a floral, green and creamy scent. To preface, i dont have much experience with Orchids or their scents but i will describe it to the best of my abilities. I get notes of jasmine sambac, frangiapani, magnolia at the heart, ambrette and musk in the base. Unsurprisingly, quite reminiscent of the florals from TF Orchid Reserve, or maybe its just my unconscious bias. Scent: 7 Longevity: 10+hrs Projection: 6 Versatility: 5 Originality: 8 Wearability: 10 Overall: 7 Rec Sprays: 6-8

I agree with @smellmycheese. Heavy florals. I get a visit to a botanical garden. Dewy heavy florals. But I think it could be pulled of by anyone. I like it but not my cup tea. Good thing, because it was an immediate "No" from the wife. The statement Old Lady fragrance came out. So vintage style it is 😎. But I am almost nearing vintage myself. 🤣 Floral heavy, nice opening. Settles to a really nice patchouli and musk. At least for me. Great performance. Certainly worth sampling.

The most photo realistic green orchid scent I have ever smelt. With all the notes.... its like you are in a floral greenhouse and you can smell the moss and other flowers around you but what you have your nose in is the most beautiful orchid. Its somehow light and heavy at the same time. If you don't like a fresh orchid smell... this will be your nightmare. Definitely a day time smell, best for spring I would say. I would say its feminine scent for sure.

Intensely floral without being cloying. It's giving hyper realistic garden section at Lowe's. I dig it! There is something weirdly dirty about it, like you spent all day digging bare-handed in the dirt and then picked the most beautiful rose you've ever seen and then proceeded to destroy it by smushing it in your hand. Very citrus and green forward, dries to a lovely rose, leaving a traces of hay and patchouli at the bottom. 100% wearable and fun.

Interestingly, for a while I smelled different notes each time I sniffed. (First sniff was baby powder, which went away) Eventually it balanced out and ended up with a delightful mix of herbaciousness (mostly basil) and wet dewy flowers. A very springy scent, I'd say predominantly rose and basil. Not like any other roses I have and I have a lot of them. I could only see myself wearing this in the spring, though!

if you think most floral fragrances are too sweet or cloying, this would probably work well for you. you can tell you’re smelling flowers actually *growing* someplace instead of just the essence of a flower. i think saying this is a *photorealistic* greenhouse or jungle scent is a stretch though, but it is along those lines

i am still figuring out how to feel about this. it starts out very beautiful and intensely green, but quickly dries down into bathroom cleaner. i wish i did not have that association because it's still quite a lovely perfume but it's so undeniably the scent of a public restroom. it'll be hard to get over that one!

Smells exactly like a Balinese temple! Or maybe a fancy beach resort soap. There is something very incense-y and I’m surprised that it’s not a listed note. Perhaps it’s the sandalwood. It’s very beautiful. I don’t think I want to wear it as a perfume but this would make fantastic candle or room scent!

This is floral, powdery, green and delicious. Im not a big floral gal but this is fabulous. It has an herbal powdery spice to it that I adore and definitely think smells like a lush store. This one seems like it will be a crowd pleaser.

Very floral scent and it's intense on opening but within 20 minutes it dies down a bit. This is a classic 70s/80s type chypre type scent. It's very nice but trust me, it's only a spring scent.

at first, it smelled really moist and like it came from a rainforest full of flowers. the drydown is a weird mix of all notes combined resemblance to animal: 7/10

It feels as if you’ve opened a bottle from the 1970s, only to find an indie experiment inside. There’s a ghost of classic chypre here, it echoes of moss and some dusty floral, but no true structure. The opening strikes me as quite unpalatable, and there’s an odd sense of déjà vu, as if I once smelled this on the lining of my granny’s vintage dress. Orchid? I can’t detect it per se. But basil and pear are prominent. The basil clings on well into the heart, like a tedious guest convinced of its own charm. The pear, meanwhile, drifts into a powdery trail. The drydown is suede-dusty and soft, like a room long untouched but still somehow cozy, with wooden furniture and mixed flowers in vases. Overall, it’s far from banal. It might work in the heat: there’s no syrupy sweetness, but there is style (as some already noticed - in line with Nightingale). For those who enjoy understated fragrances with backbone, it’s worth a try. For everyone else - approach at your leisure, and without urgency.

Reviewing a sample from 2025. Orchid Mantis was launched in 2025. This is not a green tropical fragrance but rather a powdery soapy one. Orchid Mantis opens with a fresh bitter green note soon joined by tropical florals. This evokes a humid rainforest. Unfortunately it doesn't last for long. The fragrance quickly changes into a powdery soapy rose dry down that smells generic and artificial. If you were expecting a rich patchouli/sandalwood/vetiver base, it is not here. Quality- average-poor (beautiful opening but too short lived) Unisex- leans feminine Performance- average Lovely humid rainforest opening but not enough heft at the base, which totally falls apart, to carry it through. A rare miss by Zoologist. 6.5/10

Probably the most realistic floral I’ve ever smelt on paper. Smells like a photorealistic fresh bouquet of flowers you’d buy from the store green stems and all.That in iteself is an anccomplishment but unfortunately on skin it doesn’t smell quite as realistic or natural. I also can’t help but feel this comes off slightly more dated than I’d expect given the concept. I was expecting something more given the mantis concept. Maybe something metallic, animalic or something more dangerous smelling.The Mantis is a very cool insect to draw inspiration from and I can help but feel once again this is uninspired safe perfumery. With this perfume it just drys down to a typical heady green humid floral.

Photorealistic decorative, hard, pressed floral-shaped and -scented soaps in a little ceramic dish. Not worth the time. ETA: I’ve been working through my sample because I really wanted to like this one. After a few more attempts I can see where this one is *trying* to go, but I don’t think it gets there. I’ve tried to layer it with some Demeter fragrances, but it just feels so dense on its own. I do like it layered with Petrichor, it really brings out the dewy side of Orchid Mantis. Still wouldn’t buy this.

This starts off so violently floral that it was hard to wear, and while it did get better and kind of settle down over time, it’s just so strong for the first like 30 minutes that I don’t think it’s for me. It’s very fresh and sweet, but for me it’s too sweet, like it almost smells like a bathroom cleaning spray or something. I could see how people would like this, if you want a really fresh pop of sweet florals this would be good, just too much for my taste.

The opening was very citrus heavy for me, along with a green note and something floral. I don't know what a Lady of the Night flower smells like, so I can't really judge that but it might be that. I don't like the opening, but after wearing it for a while the fragrance balances out and the citrus (luckily) wears off changing it into a more floral scent. All in all it's okay, but not something I would buy for myself.

As an untrained nose: Starts super bouquet-y, strong ylan and orchid, then to jasmine. After two hours it stays quite floral, a little artificial to me. Its a tad green but i was hoping for a deeper green scent. Not my personal fav, but alright!

This is definitely one of those that you have to try before u buy. For me - it's a true neutral. On paper it smells great, maybe not my style, but admirable - vintage, fresh spicy, bright floral flower shop. On my skin though - Piss and shit :/

This for some reason is hitting similar notes to Chanel no5 edp. Definitely getting the earthy, mossy notes but unfortunately on my skin it seems to develop into “public bathroom” smell it’s a shame as I loved the opening.

Orchid Mantis is undeniably atmospheric — it paints a vivid picture of a rainforest conservatory, brimming with dew-soaked petals, lush greenery, and exotic orchids. The craftsmanship is clear, and the composition leans heavily into realism, with a misty, almost tactile sense of humidity and floral life. But while it’s immersive, it can also be overwhelming. The green-floral opening, though impressive in detail, verges on heady and soapy — and for some, that intense dampness may come off more synthetic than natural. The animalic undertone, though clean, introduces a faint sharpness that may not sit comfortably with all wearers. Those expecting the usual Zoologist punch may find Orchid Mantis surprisingly soft, even a bit safe compared to other releases. It’s beautifully constructed but perhaps too pretty, too polite — lacking the wild edge that usually defines the brand. For lovers of green florals and botanical realism, it may be a dream come true. But for those craving something bolder or more abstract, it might feel like a missed opportunity. A technically refined fragrance — but not one that everyone will fall for.

Orchid Mantis is a scent I’ve been interested to try for a while now, as I’ve heard others mention it holds an old school, classical character about it - which is what I really liked about Nightingale. I have to say however, I’m not a fan of this one. It just doesn’t speak to me. It’s got this overwhelmingly soapy floral aspect, which should be soft but instead comes across as crude and jagged due to the sharp green, watery aspect. This combination simply ends up smelling like a rather cheap bar of soap, one that’s confusing complexity with elegance; one that’s trying to hard to be unique, that it falls flat as a unbalanced mess. I’m not trying to be too harsh, but I can’t understand the appeal about this one. So far on my Zoologist journey, I’ve not been getting the best impression unfortunately.

I absolutely adore the opening of this, it smells like biting into a fresh, juicy pear. It totally invokes the colors of pink & green. It makes me think of pink lotus flowers on lilypads and dewdrops on green leaves. Unfortunately on my skin it very quickly dries down to a strange dusty/musty scent. After about an hour all the dewiness and fresh fruity notes disappear and I'm left with this stale mustiness. It's so strange! I'm considering getting a travel set of 5 from them and know the three that I will definitely be adding (Rabbit, Olm, Moth) but unsure on the remaining two... I am still considering Orchid Mantis because I do really love the opening and I'm hopeful maybe it was just a bad sample I got or something.

I excitedly spritzed this on my wrist, ready to be taken on the floral journey other reviewers described, but I was sorely disappointed. I love this brand and its ethos, but this scent was a miss for me. I do smell a bit of green, a bit of powder, a very stately essence - but above all, suffocating any pleasant aroma, I smell indolic jasmine. It unfortunately smells straight-up fecal to me. I haven't smelled a fragrance so fecal since Jungle Jezebel by Sarah Baker. The longevity is also powerful - that fecal note didn't subside for at least 5 hours. I appreciate that there is artistry at play here, but I'm very glad I didn't blind buy this. I could never enjoy wearing this.

This one is very strange. On paper and right on the skin at the opening it smells wonderful - very green, very floral, very bright. Just a garden dream. But the sillage is some kind of horror - a mixture of hairspray, Lush store and cheap Eden Cacharel. After a couple of hours, only Lush and mothballs remain on the skin. In my opinion, smelling like a Lush store is far from a compliment. Was the goal to deceive the buyer by pretending to be a beautiful flower? Well done, well done.